McClain: Trip to Washington will test Texans' maturity

Tackle Eric Winston (73) and the Texans understand how important Week 2 is.

Tackle Eric Winston (73) and the Texans understand how important Week 2 is.

Photo: Karen Warren, Chronicle

Photo: Karen Warren, Chronicle

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Tackle Eric Winston (73) and the Texans understand how important Week 2 is.

Tackle Eric Winston (73) and the Texans understand how important Week 2 is.

Photo: Karen Warren, Chronicle

McClain: Trip to Washington will test Texans' maturity

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Offensive tackle Eric Winston was holding court at his locker after the 34-24 victory Indianapolis.

Wave after wave of reporters came to Winston to hear what he thought about the Texans ending their six-game losing streak against the Colts by defeating them for only the second time.

While fans celebrated as if the Texans had won a playoff game, Winston and his teammates were careful not to get too caught up in the euphoria of the moment. They knew it was special — a season-opening victory over their nemesis - but they also knew the significance could be short-lived if they haven't learned from their past.

Last year, the Texans went to Nashville, where they had won only once, and escaped with a 34-31 victory to even their record to 1-1.

"We said Tennessee was going to be a transformative game, but we came out the next week and laid an egg," Winston said.

That egg was deposited in Reliant Stadium against Jacksonville, a team the Texans had grown accustomed to beating at home.

The Jaguars won 31-24, and the excitement the Texans felt after Tennessee disappeared and was replaced by bitter disappointment at blowing such a good opportunity.

When the Texans play at Washington on Sunday, we'll find out if this team is different, if it's grown up and really does know how to handle success.

D.C. united behind Skins

After such an impressive performance against the Colts, imagine how much positive attention the Texans can generate nationally with a victory over new coach Mike Shanahan and the Redskins. They're coming off a prime-time victory over the Cowboys, and Washington hasn't been this excited since President's Obama's inauguration.

"The Colts were the big boys on the block, and they still are until someone takes them out."

Until someone dethrones them as Tennessee did in 2008 when the Titans won the AFC South with a 13-3 record.

"That's something that will always give us a little extra confidence, knowing that we can close a game out against them, but at the same time, it's just one game," Winston said about Sunday's victory.

Now the Texans have to earn another victory to keep from being 1-1 again. They're playing in the largest stadium in the NFL. FedEx Field will be rockin' with more than 90,000 fans jacked up and expecting Shanahan to get off to a 2-0 start.

Nice two-season run

We're not exactly sure how important this is to what happens Sunday, but the Texans haven't lost a game since Dec. 6. Anybody else remember that option pass in the five-point loss at Jacksonville?

This must be a confident team. The Texans won their last four games last season with the playoffs at stake each week. They opened this season by winning over Indianapolis by 10 points.

Washington is the Texans' first road game. They were a franchise-best 5-3 on the road last season. They're 7-4 in their last 11 road games. They've won in hostile territory by just about every means other than rushing for 257 yards.

Watching these Texans grow under coach Gary Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith is kind of like watching a child learn to walk.

They stumble. They fall. Sometimes they have trouble getting up and fall again. Eventually, though, they don't stumble, and they don't fall. They just stay up and take off.